1. Field of Invention
Embodiments of the invention relate to network management. More specifically, the embodiments of the invention relate to methods and systems for managing router information in a network.
2. Description of the Background Art
In a network of data-processing machines, routing protocols are used to exchange router information. Examples of network include a Local Area Network (LAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), an enterprise network, and the like. Examples of routing protocols include the Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (IGRP), the Open Shortest Path First (OSPF), the Exterior Gateway Protocol (EGP), the Routing Information Protocol (RIP), and the Routing Information Protocol version 2 (RIPv2). The router information is used by network protocols to specify how data transmissions are routed. Examples of network protocols include Internet Protocol (IP), DECnet, OSI, Banyan VINES, and the Xerox Network System (XNS).
In an enterprise network, RIPv2 may be used as a routing protocol. Examples of enterprise networks include a corporate LAN, an interconnected group of corporate LANs, intranets, and extranets. According to the routing protocol, routing devices communicate router information on one or more interfaces. A routing device is a network device that can route data transmission across a network. Examples of routing devices include routers, gateway-routers, and the like. Interfaces connect each network device to other network devices in the network. These network devices can be one or more of routing devices, switches, bridges, gateways, and the like. Router information includes routing updates, which can also include information about changes in a routing table. The routing table can be a list of zero or more networks that are recognized by the routing device. The routing updates can be communicated to each of the directly connected networks every 30 seconds.
There can be a situation when there are no consumers of the router information on one or more interfaces. A consumer is a network device connected to a routing device, which can process the router information. Examples of network devices that are not consumers include layer-2 switches and bridges, which cannot process the router information. However, routing devices still communicate router information on the interfaces connecting the network devices, which are not consumers. This places an extra load on the CPU and memory resources of the routing devices. This can also increase network traffic because the router information, which is not needed by the network devices, is also communicated on the network.
An administrator disables one or more interfaces connecting the routing device to network devices that are not consumers, by making the interfaces passive. In large networks, making interfaces with no consumers passive may result in administrative overheads and increase the likelihood of faulty configuration.